The Silence of the Heart

Reflections of the Christ Mind #2

by Paul Ferrini

Silence is the essence of the heart. You cannot be in the heart unless you are in forgiveness of yourself and others. You cannot be in the heart if you are worried or angry. You cannot be in the heart if your breathing is shallow or labored. When the breath is shallow, thinking is superficial. If you want to live a spiritual life, bring your awareness to your breath. Become aware of the times when you are breathing in a shallow way and bring your awareness to your thoughts. You will see that your mind is chattering. None of these thoughts has depth or significance. If you relax and breathe deeply, these thoughts will fly away like startled birds. And then you will abide in the heart.When the breath is labored, thinking is driven by fear and anxiety. Your mind-states are rooted in the past or future. You may be focused on what other people are doing and how you can accommodate them or protect yourself from their actions. You are building a fortress of thought around your heart. Take a deep breath and relax. Breathe and return to the heart. Breathe and return to your essential Self. Unless you return to the heart, you cannot see with compassion. And one who does not see with compassion does not see accurately. All that is perceived is a fabrication, a hyperbole. It simply feeds your boredom or anxiety.Can you live without overstimulation? Can you slow down, breathe and live in the moment? It may not be as difficult as you think. Since you can only begin now, not in the past or future, it is a simple challenge. Try it now. Be in the present and breathe for a few minutes. The more you do it, the easier it will become. This practice will gather momentum, like a stream coming down from a mountain, taking with it all the blocks that stand in its way.When you commit to the practice of silence, your relationship to the entire universe changes. There is no more difference between inner and outer. Earth and heaven meet where your heart and mind join in silent bliss.

Genres: Spirituality, Theology, Psychology

230 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1900

Reviews

[Jeff Maziarek · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Silence of the Heart is truly a classic book in the spiritual growth category. My copy has so many dog-eared pages that it almost appears as if the entire book is marked in this way! There really is incredible wisdom in this book, and I just love the "voice" that Ferrini uses to communicate his teachings. If I had read it prior to publishing my own book, I would have definitely included it in my "must read" list. Of the many books on my shelf, I refer back to this one more than just about any other that I own. If there was 6th star in the Goodreads rating system this book would qualify for it. Here is one of my favorite passages in this book:

“It is spiritual pride to think that you are any further on the journey than anyone else. Even if this were true, it would not serve you to know it or claim it. What serves you is compassion for self, compassion for others. What serves you is knowing that each person has the lesson that is perfect for him and, if he learns it, there is no telling how far he will advance.

Don’t think you have the capacity to make a correct determination of the spiritual progress of any individual, including yourself. You don’t. You don’t know. One who seems to be far behind can move ahead in a flash. And one who seems ahead can be seriously disabled. The whole idea of ahead and behind is meaningless, since you don’t know where the starting line is or the finish line….You can look at others and think you understand, but you will just be kidding yourself. You have no idea what anyone else’s life is about. Nor is it really any of your business to know.”

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Okay, so the premise is a little kooky (told from Christ and others as first person with extended commandments and advice), but it was seriously full of gems of wisdom. It's been a while since meaningful, pertinent sentences have jumped out at me at just the right time, but this book was full of moments like that while I was reading.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most important books on self-healing I've ever read.
When he say's "Reflections of the Christ Mind" he ain't kidding.

[Jilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best spiritual books I have come across. And every time I read it I get new lessons and insights.

[Dan Hazen · Rating 1 out of 5]

HATED IT! Childish and self-indulgent theology fabricated from the feel-good center of the baby-boomer soul.

Learned something about stillness, though :-)

[Connie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book I Oen, tis is THE book I taketo the desert Island. Read it just about everyday.

[Roben]

This is the second time for me with The Silence of the Heart. And still, I look forward to another round.

[vlad popescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Este genul acela de carte pe care trebuie s-o citești măcar o dată în viață, pentru sufletul tău.
Fiind o persoană sceptică, am citit multe cărți pe această variațiune, de cuvinte transmise de altcineva, de text dictat de o altă entitate, care vorbește prin intermediul autorului.
Dacă chiar reprezintă vorbele lui Iisus sau nu, chiar nu are nicio importanță, deoarece mesajul este bun și util oricum.
Pot spune că este cartea pe care aș crede-o cel mai mult, pentru că n-am simțit încărcată cu nicio agresivitate, iar autorul pare că rămâne imparțial emoțional, indiferent de subiectul pe care-l tratează. Dacă m-ai fi obligat să aleg o carte, pe care s-o cred c-ar fi dictată de o ființă superioară, pe aceasta aș paria. :)

"Îți cer să înțelegi foarte clar că nimeni nu știe mai mult decât tine. Nimeni nu are ce să-ți dea, ceva ce nu ai deja.
Uită de școli, de profesori, de guru. Uită cunoașterea seculară și parohială. Uită dogmele, științele ezoterice și metafizice. Nici una dintre ele nu te va elibera de suferință și durere. Ele doar vor adăuga ceva la povara pe care o duci.
Fii realist în privința experienței pe care o trăiești. Aici există numai o singură persoană care trebuie să se trezească - și aceasta ești tu.
Cei care au un dar să-ți dea, nu-l vor ține pentru ei. Cei care țin pentru ei informația sau dragostea și nu ți le dau, nu au nici un dar pentru tine.
Ferește-te de cei care vor să te facă să joci cum îți cântă ei, sau să nu miști în front. Ei nu fac altceva decât să-și umple buzunarele pe socoteala ta. Nu accepta ideea că mântuirea se află în altă parte. Nu este așa.
Tu ori ai cheia, ori nu o ai. Dacă o ai, trebuie să începi să o folosești. Dacă nu o ai, ia-ți adio de la spiritualitate. Dacă altcineva are ceva ce tu nu ai, atunci tu și cu el sunteți condamnați împreună. Cel mai bun lucru pe care-l poți face este să lași totul în urmă și să pleci.
De fapt, de ce să nu pleci oricum ? De ce să nu faci orice îți aduce bucurie? Chiar crezi că făcând ceva serios, te vei trezi ? Te asigur că așa ceva iese din discuție.
Orice lucru pe care-l consideri serios va fi atacat pe toate planurile, până ce îți vei da seama de absurditatea de a considera că ceva este sacru sau despărțit de viață.
Iluminarea se produce odată cu un hohot de râs, nu cu un zâmbet înțelegător."

[Ed Zirkwitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides out of the box thinking challenges and suggestions on many spiritual subjects
such as: faith. right livelihood, community and communion, healing from the divided self,
miracles, reconciliation, embracing self and self-awareness.

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not like this book at all. The author's tone rubbed me the wrong way. To me, he's presumptuous and without credentials. It's as if he read a bunch of a pop psychology books and new age spiritualism and regurgatated it here. Save your money. A disappointment.

[Frank · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I'm no expert on a Course in Miracles, this feels like it was influenced by that work. Not that this one is bad or anything. It certainly seems to get at what seems to be the core of Christianity in my mind.

[Jy]

i need self-healing recently............

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Open hearted Truth beautifully spoken and deeply moving.